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Early in-person voting opens in Grand Rapids for 2026 election

Early in-person voting opens in Grand Rapids for 2026 election

Rule Changes Grand Rapids, MI local

Grand Rapids' 13-day window ended with nearly 40,000 city voters casting early or absentee ballots

November 3rd, 2026: Election Day arrives with 31.2% of Michigan voters already voting

Overview

Updated Yesterday

Early in-person voting in Grand Rapids ended Nov. 1 after 13 days at four sites: St. Peter and Paul School, GRPS University, Ottawa Hills High School and New Hope Baptist Church. Any city voter could use any site, not just the precinct assigned for Election Day.

By the time polls opened Nov. 3, nearly 40,000 Grand Rapidians had voted early or by absentee ballot, about 30% of the city's registered voters, City Clerk Joel Hondorp said. Statewide, 31.2% of active registered voters cast ballots before Election Day, including 750,467 early in-person votes and 1.76 million returned absentee ballots.

Why it matters

How many Grand Rapids voters use the city's 13-day window by Nov. 1 shows whether Michigan's new early voting sticks in midterms.

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Key Indicators

9
Minimum days of early in-person voting guaranteed by Michigan's constitution
Proposal 2 (2022) requires at least nine days of early voting, each with at least eight hours.
13
Days of early voting in Grand Rapids this cycle (Oct 20–Nov 1)
The city ran longer than the constitutional minimum before Election Day.
31.2%
Statewide voters who cast ballots before Election Day
Absentee and early in-person votes combined on Nov. 3. About 1.76 million absentee ballots were returned and 750,467 people voted early in person.
40,000
Grand Rapids voters who voted early or absentee
Nearly 40,000 city residents, about 30% of registered voters, had cast ballots before polls opened Nov. 3, City Clerk Joel Hondorp said.

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People Involved

Joel Hondorp
Joel Hondorp
Grand Rapids City Clerk
Oversaw Grand Rapids' 13-day early voting period, which ended Nov. 1; nearly 40,000 city voters cast early or absentee ballots.

Organizations Involved

CG
City of Grand Rapids Clerk's Office
Local government office
Ran four early voting sites through Nov. 1; nearly 40,000 city voters cast early or absentee ballots.

Administered Grand Rapids' four early voting sites through Nov. 1.
Michigan Department of State
Michigan Department of State
State Agency
Reported that 31.2% of active registered voters cast ballots before Election Day.

Runs Michigan's statewide election system and the Michigan Voter Information Center.

Timeline

November 2022 November 2026

11 events Latest: November 3rd, 2026 · 1 week ago Showing 8 of 11
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  1. Election Day arrives with 31.2% of Michigan voters already voting

    Latest Election

    Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In Grand Rapids, nearly 40,000 voters had cast early or absentee ballots, about 30% of registered voters. Statewide, 1.76 million absentee ballots were returned and 750,467 people voted early in person.

  2. Early voting ends in Grand Rapids

    Election

    The city's four early voting sites closed after 13 days. Statewide early voting also ended Nov. 1.

  3. Statewide early in-person voting opens

    Election

    Early voting sites opened in every Michigan community for at least eight hours a day through Sunday, Nov. 1. Grand Rapids had already begun on optional extra days.

  4. Statewide ballots cast top 920,000

    Election

    The state said 920,762 voters had cast an absentee or early ballot, 12.4% of registered voters. Absentee requests reached 2,133,787, about 17% above the same point in 2022, and 1,930 early in-person ballots had been cast.

  5. Statewide absentee returns reach about 860,000

    Election

    About 2 million absentee ballots had been requested and roughly 860,000 returned by the morning of Oct. 21, CBS News Detroit reported. With early in-person votes added, nearly 11.6% of active registered voters had cast a ballot.

  6. Early voting opens in Grand Rapids

    Election

    The city opened four early voting sites at 11 a.m.; voters may use any of them through Nov. 1 ahead of Election Day.

  7. Statewide early and absentee ballots top 780,000

    Election

    Michigan voters had cast more than 780,000 absentee and early ballots two weeks before Election Day, about 10.7% turnout, the Secretary of State's office said.

  8. Grand Rapids tests tabulators before early voting

    Election

    Clerk Joel Hondorp ran a public accuracy test at a city warehouse, checking tabulators for the city's 59 precincts plus the early voting machines. State law requires the test at least five days before early voting starts.

  9. Clerk confirms 13 days at four sites

    Election

    Joel Hondorp said Grand Rapids would run 13 days of early voting, four more than the constitutional minimum, at four locations instead of three, starting Oct. 20.

  10. First early voting period runs

    Policy

    Michigan offers early in-person voting for the first time, during the presidential primary.

  11. Michigan voters approve Proposal 2

    Ballot measure

    Constitutional amendment guarantees at least nine days of early in-person voting, eight hours per day.

Scenarios

1

Early in-person ballots outpace absentee in Grand Rapids

Possible Resolves by Nov 20, 2026

Discussed by: Local clerks noting rising early-voting use as the option becomes established

Early in-person voting grows as a habit in Michigan, and Grand Rapids' extended window plus site choice draws more voters than the long-standing absentee-by-mail system. Final counts from the Nov. 3 election determine the outcome.

2

Absentee voting stays the dominant method in Grand Rapids

Likely Resolves by Nov 20, 2026

Discussed by: Election analysts pointing to Michigan's well-established no-excuse absentee system

Early in-person voting grows but remains smaller than absentee mail voting, which Michigan voters have used for years. The early voting period functions as an added option rather than the default way to cast a ballot.

3

One early voting site handles a disproportionate share of ballots

Possible Resolves by Nov 20, 2026

Discussed by: City clerk staff tracking live wait times at each location

Because Grand Rapids voters can use any of the city's early voting sites, usage may concentrate at a single location, creating waits and uneven turnout. Site-level counts after the election reveal the pattern.

4

Michigan's early vote finishes ahead of 2022

Deadline passed (Nov 3, 2026)

Discussed by: Peter Trumbore, political science professor at Oakland University

By Election Day, 31.2% of active registered voters had cast ballots early or absentee, and 1.76 million of nearly 2.2 million requested absentee ballots were returned. Official turnout results will show whether the early-voting window drew new voters or mostly shifted when existing voters cast ballots.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 2022

Michigan Proposal 2 (2022)

Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to vote early in person, requiring at least nine days of early voting with at least eight hours each day.

Then

The first early voting period ran during the 2024 presidential primary.

Now

Every statewide and federal election now includes a mandatory early voting window.

Why this matters now

This is that amendment being put into practice for its first midterm in Grand Rapids.

2000s–present

Spread of early in-person voting across U.S. states

Many states already offered some form of early in-person voting before Michigan adopted it, ranging from Delaware and North Dakota to Florida, Texas, and New York.

Then

Early voting became a familiar option in a majority of states in the 2000s and 2010s.

Now

Michigan's 2022 amendment brought the state in line with that national trend.

Why this matters now

Grand Rapids applies a proven model, extending the window and letting voters choose among multiple sites.

Sources

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FOX 17 City of Grand Rapids Michigan Secretary of State Yahoo News MLive WZZM 13 News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM WOODTV.com CBS News Detroit Michigan Public WGVU News FOX 2 Detroit Michigan Secretary of State MLive Michigan Secretary of State CBS News Detroit City of Grand Rapids MLive WZZM 13